Little Things
by Greg'sgirl5
Summary: Greg thinks he's used to the surprises that come with being a CSI. But it takes one case, and one little boy, to change that.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, do you think I would be writing this? Nope. _

**Little Things**

Greg was used to surprises. When you were a CSI you had to be. Nothing ever went as planned, you were constantly running in circles and sometimes, reality just slaps you in the face.

It was a pretty straight forwards crime scene, nothing unusual. The killer broke in through the window, probably to rob the newly bought house, but someone heard the noise. The father came down the stairs first and the killer shot him in the chest. It was a through and through, right beside the heart. His body was slumped on the stairs.

Greg followed the bloody footprints into the living room, where he imagined the next killing.

Hearing the shots, the mother had run downstairs and into the living room, where the killer was rummaging through the half-unpacked boxes. There was a struggle, knocking over lamps, and then he shot her as well. Her blood was caked on the floor, forming a red island in an ocean of white carpet.

Greg only had to walk a few feet to where the last body lay, the worst one to look at.

The son, who was about 15, had grabbed a baseball bat and slowly crept downstairs. Unfortunately, the killer had hid behind the boxes, waiting for anyone else who could interrupt him. The bullet hit Chase in the head, killing him instantly.

Greg's heart panged with sadness. This boy had his whole life ahead of him. And it had been cut short because of some stupid, panicked robber.

All the CSIs had cases that affected them. For Catherine it was kidnappings, no doubt due to Lindsay's incident a few years ago. Every time she saw ropes or tape or blindfolds, they all saw the light in her eyes fade.

For Nick it was... well actually, Greg wasn't sure anymore. It used to be the emotional ones, where the victims survived and had to deal with the aftermath. It had also been molestation cases, because of the baby sitter incident when he was a child. But lately it had become almost every case.

For Sara it was the abuse cases. Her past had made its mark, and hurt her to the point of emotional breakdowns. Greg had been one of the first people she had ever told.

Ray didn't let it show, but hostage situations really bugged him. He had also become very attached to some cases that had taken a long time to solve, like the sex trade case two years ago.

For Greg, it was children. Anything with children. It wasn't fair, having their lives taken away like that. They were innocent, they were care free. It just wasn't fair.

A hand on his back startled him. He looked over to see Sara standing there, looking at Chase's body. Her eyes were fixed on his face, her expression solemn.

"You wanna take upstairs?" She asked him, knowing his thoughts. He had told her years ago about his hatred of child murders. "Check and see if there's any fingerprints on the jewellery cases."

He nodded, but couldn't seem to break his gaze. Chase's curly, dirty-blonde hair was covered in blood, his blue eyes staring at nothing.

Sara squeezed his shoulder, and he managed to make his feet move in the other direction.

His steps were quiet as he climbed the blood spattered stairs, and turned into the master bedroom. There wasn't much there actually, seeing as though they had only moved in 2 days prior. Just an empty bed, a dresser and a few cardboard boxes.

On the dresser, he saw some jewellery cases, which were empty. He also saw a few smears, so using his print tape, he extracted them. Greg doubted they would be useful though.

The carpet squished under his feet as he walked through the room. The walls were bare, just expansive white barriers and the atmosphere was cold.

Ignoring his job, and listening to his sadness, Greg padded into the hallway. Across the banister, he could see a half open door, and behind it, a bright blue room.

It was the only other bedroom, so he knew it belonged to Chase. He gently pushed on the creaky door and the room came into full view. There were some pretty big boxes that looked like they had been partially unpacked, and a bunk bed pushed up against the wall. It actually reminded Greg of one he had slept in as a child.

There was also a set of drawers, which was almost up to the CSI's neck. On top there was a single picture frame, in which was a self taken photo. In the picture there was a group of kids, looking around Chase`s age. They were laughing on a couch, playing video games. There looked to be 5 of them at first, but Greg soon saw that there was another boy, sitting on the floor, a fair distance from the rest. He looked to be younger than the others, by quite a few years.

_All those boys are going to have to find out that their friend is dead._ He thought, and felt a wave of sadness wash over him.

All of a sudden, there was a rustling. It was faint, almost non-existent, but he heard it. He froze in place, barely breathing.

It had gone silent once again, so he took a risk and stepped to the left, where he had heard the noise. There was another rustling, this time louder.

Greg looked up and realized that there was a closet door in front of him. He cocked his head closer, and heard some breathing.

_Shit._ There`s someone in the closet. What if it was the killer? _Oh my god._

Greg grabbed his gun instinctively, clicking off the safety. He pointed it at the door, trying to keep his hands from shaking.

Even though his body was numb with fear, he tried to rationalize. He needed to open that door.

_Three...Two...One...Open!_

He reached out and pulled the door open, letting it swing loudly outwards. He pointed his gun at the first movement his mind could register.

"Don't hurt me! Please!" A small voice shouted, and Greg's eyes focused on a young boy curled up on the floor.

"Please!" The boy cried, tears streaming down his face. Greg lowered his gun immediately.

"No, no, I'm not going to hurt you." Greg said, trying to calm him down.

He bent lower so he was at eye level and could now recognize the boy as the youngest child in the photo. He had the same blue eyes as Chase, but had tousled brown hair which was short and wavy.

"I'm a police man, I won't hurt you. The bad guys are gone." He told the little boy, who was still cowering in the corner. At Greg's last statement, he seemed to listen eagerly.

Hoping this would continue, he put away his gun and put his weight on his knees.

"You promise?" The little boy asked innocently. Honestly, it broke Greg's heart.

"Of course I do, come here." He said nicely, and opened his arms.

The little boy stumbled upwards, then ran straight into his arms. Greg hugged him tightly, wondering how much of the crime he had witnessed. The little boy sobbed on his shoulder, occasionally trying to wipe the tears from his bright blue eyes.

"Greg?" He heard Sara call from downstairs.

"I'm up here, call the paramedics!"

**? what's gonna happen? :P**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, do you think I would be writing this? Nope. _

**Little Things**

Greg held the boy tight to his chest as Sara burst in the room, phone in hand. The look on her face probably matched his, surprised, shocked and sympathetic.

She immediately crouched down to be at the same level as them, her eyes welcoming.

"What's your name?" She asked kindly, but the little boy sniffed and turned his head the other way. Greg didn't blame him, after what he'd just gone through, another new face would be scary.

"It's okay, you can tell her. She's my friend." He told the small boy in his ear, and he made a frightened eye contact.

The child shook his head and buried it in Greg's shoulder once again. He looked at Sara and sighed.

"Can you tell me?" He asked softly. "Come on buddy, what's your name?"

"Nathan." The boy mumbled, detaching himself from Greg.

"Okay Nathan. My name is Greg, and this is my friend Sara. We work with the police."

Nathan just sniffed and nodded.

"Can you tell me how old you are?" Greg asked and put a hand on Nathan's arm.

"Seven." He mumbled again.

"Really? You're a pretty big kid." Sara said, some-what enthusiastic. Nathan seemed to warm up to her a bit, but he said nothing.

Greg then whispered to Sara. "Where are the paramedics?" Her phone was open in her hand, probably still on the line.

"On their way, along with Catherine." She said, staying hushed.

So he turned his attention back to little Nathan.

"Nathan...Did you see what happened tonight?" Greg asked, and Nathan's eyes welled up again.

"Mhm." He stuttered, and more tears rolled down his face, his cheeks turning red.

"It's okay, it's okay." Greg said, and wrapped his arms around the little boy again.

He knew he was contaminating evidence, as Catherine would say, but he didn't care. Nathan wasn't evidence, he was a person. A person who had just been through a living hell.

XXX

Greg sat on the edge of the ambulances bumper, Nathan leaning on his arm. The paramedics had checked him over, but only found some minor scrapes, which might not even relate to the case.

So yes, he was physically okay. But mentally... that was a different case.

The little boy hadn't spoken once, his gaze was fixed on his house.

And just then, the coroners began to bring the bodies out of the house. Nathan didn't need to see that, and Greg frantically tried to come up with a distraction.

"Umm Nathan?" He asked, squeezing the little boy's arm. His blue eyes met Greg's timidly.

"Do you like games?" He had no idea where he was going with this, but he put a hand on Nathan's back and the little child nodded.

"Okay, let's play a game. See those people over there?" He asked, pointing at the gathering of neighbours behind the police tape.

Nathan followed his gaze and nodded again.

"Okay, in this game, you have to tell me if you know them, okay?" He asked and Nathan mumbled a small "Okay."

"See the man in the blue shirt? Do you know him?"

Nathan nodded again. "That's Mr. Lori. He's mean."

"Really? That's not good." Greg said, over animatedly, hoping to make Nathan a little happier. "What about the lady with the red hair?"

"I dunno." Nathan said, and leant a little more on Greg.

The coroners were almost done, and he was determined to keep the boy distracted.

"Okay, how about one more? The lady with the doggy?" He asked, rubbing Nathan's back again.

"Mrs. Harris. Her doggy is Lucy. I like them." He mumbled out, but finished with a small smile.

Truth be told, Greg was amazed at how brave the little boy was. He'd just gone through so much, and yet he was playing along and answering questions. It was pretty amazing.

"That's good...that's good." He finished, squeezing Nathan's shoulder.

**You like? I think Nathan is growing on Greg :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, do you think I would be writing this? Nope. _

**Little Things**

Greg refused to leave Nathan alone. Or maybe it was the other way around. He wasn't sure anymore.

He now sat at LVPD, Nathan resting on his arm. It felt strange to do this, Greg had never been a kid person. Don't get him wrong, but he was an only child.

But Nathan had grown on him. A lot actually. He was a cute kid and he seemed very bright for his age. He actually reminded Greg of his childhood self.

"Hey." He heard Catherine say from down the hallway, as she walked to stand in front of him. It was then that he noticed the social worker behind her. He sighed internally.

"Hey." Greg muttered back, but it was half-hearted. All he wanted to do was get away from this mess of a case.

"Nathan can come with me now." Said the social worker. "We're ready to ask him a few questions." The lady was average and looked to be around 40. Her brown hair was shoulder length and sleek.

"Okay." He said and looked down at Nathan. "Hear that buddy? They wanna ask you some questions just like I did outside, remember?"

Nathan's blue eyes met his and the child nodded slowly, but Greg didn't miss the tears in his eyes.

The social worker held out her hand and Nathan took it hesitantly, sliding off the bench.

The worker began to walk away, and Greg felt a little alone without small Nathan. But before he could even think about what would happen next, he heard a sniffle come from Nathan's retreating body.

Greg and Catherine looked at the little boy, who was now pulling to get free of the social worker, trying to run the other way. Right towards Greg.

"Come on, we're just going over here," The social worker said, struggling to maintain her grip on Nathan's hand.

"No! I don't want to! I wanna stay with him!" Nathan yelled and finally broke free of her grasp, sending him tripping.

On instinct, Greg stepped forwards at lightning speed, grabbing him before he could fall.

The social worker looked at him sceptically, but he ignored it. Greg stood back up, now holding Nathan's little hand.

"Uh Cath, mind if I stay with him?" He asked his supervisor, watching as she looked at the little boy, with a small mile on her lips.

She snapped out of her trance and looked him in the eyes. She seemed really tired.

"Uh... yeah. I'll, uh, call Ray." She said quickly, and glanced at the social worker, who in seeing that this might finally start, walked into the break room.

Greg smiled at Nathan, who gave him a timid one back, and they began to walk, only to be stopped by Catherine grabbing Greg's other arm.

She leaned in slightly, hushing her voice. "Make sure she doesn't take advantage of the situation. They like to twist words."

He nodded at her, realizing this might be harder than he expected.

XXX

"Nathan, you can answer, I'm not going to bite hun. Did you see your family get hurt?" The social worker, who he now knew as Melissa asked the child.

Nathan still didn't answer, he was still looking at his hands fidgeting on the leather couch.

Greg gently put his hands over the little boy's cold ones and smiled when he looked up.

"You can tell her. I promise, she's a friend too." He said soothingly, and hoped the little boy would come around.

"Yeah. I saw." The seven year old muttered, a tear rolling down his cheek. Greg's heart broke for him. The little guy had been through so much.

"Okay," Melissa said slowly, trying to seem welcoming. Even Greg could see it wasn't working. He didn't want to set a bad example, but she annoyed him. "Did you see who hurt them?"

Nathan nodded his head 'a matter of factly'. His small hands were trembling.

"Can you tell me what he or she looked like?" She asked, being rather intrusive. Greg had to focus in order not to give her a rather harsh glare. Instead, he looked at Nathan and rubbed his hand.

"No." He burst out, before crying. "I. Didn't. See (hiccup) Face," He stuttered through sobs. Greg ignored the social worker and pulled the boy into a hug.

"It's okay. It's okay Nathan."

"Look Nathan," Melissa said coolly, almost condescendingly. "Are you saying you did or didn't see your family's attacker?"

But Nathan just cried on Greg's shoulder. The little boy was shaking, and Greg had a flashback to when he had experienced the awful hand shaking after the lab explosion.

Grissom had been there for him, asking I he was okay, and if he needed someone to talk to.

Nathan needed his own Grissom. So Greg put his foot down.

"We're done here. Call the supervisor if you need more information." He said, not afraid to be as equally rude as she had been.

Melissa recoiled, and gave him the kind of look that just screamed 'I'm better than you.'

But he ignored that. Actually he ignored her, the case, and the fact that he could get fired for this. Honestly, he knew the team would help him if Ecklie let his power obsessed mind lead.

So Greg picked Nathan up, and walked straight out of the room, his shoulder getting wet from the child's salty tears.

**Okay, so you like it? I hope you do! But even if you don't, review and tell me so. **


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, do you think I would be writing this? Nope. _

**Little Things**

It had taken Greg a while to calm Nathan down. He had driven him back to CSI, with Brass's permission. He had toured the lab with little Nathan, just trying to keep him distracted for as long as he could.

Even Hodges had pitched in, giving the kid an arrogance filled, self conceded tour of his over-rated lab. Greg had just chuckled along, enjoying his time off the case, just a brave little boy to keep him company.

Now they were in the break room, and Nathan was playing with two toy cars on the table. The crumb covered plate beside him had once held a sandwich, but all this stress had taken it's toll on the boy's appetite. He had scarfed it down in seconds.

Greg just sat there, watching him play. Even though he was brave, Greg could tell he was close to self destructing. Even now, while playing with his toy trucks, sadness was his defining feature.

Greg stared off into space once again, watching the glints move on the long glass walls. They danced as he moved minuscule amounts, and he just watched them, not sure why.

But then he saw Nick's concerned face through the clear wall, and he snapped out of his little trance. In an instant he wanted it back, but instead glanced at Nathan.

"I'm going to go talk to my friend over there, see?" He asked Nathan softly, and the little boy followed his gaze, before nodding.

"Okay."

Greg reluctantly got up and walked across the blue linoleum floor. His heels squeaked quietly as he got to the door and swung it open swiftly.

He walked into the hall, and shut the door behind him, not wanting the 7 year old to listen in.

Nick gave him a small smile as he stood beside him, looking in on Nathan.

"He's cute." Nick said in his Texan accent, watching the child push around his toy trucks.

Without thinking, Greg shot back, "He's adorable." Actually, he surprised himself, it wasn't everyday that you called a kid adorable.

Nathan was still playing with his toy trucks, completely oblivious to them. And if he wasn't, he was very good at hiding it.

"Who's gonna take him?" Nick asked suddenly, and Greg racked his brain, trying to remember the details.

"I dunno, some family I think. Brass'll let us know." He replied back, glancing at Nick, who seemed to be looking at Nathan respectively.

"Poor guy. He's been through a lot." Nick said, and Greg couldn't help but judge his friend. That was a huge understatement.

"He's been through hell Nicky." He replied, and he felt his friend back off, thinking he had offended him.

He hadn't, but Greg didn't know why he was so defensive of this little boy. Was he growing on him? He wasn't supposed to get attached to cases.

They looked back to Nathan who now had a few trucks on the table.

"He seems really brave though, I'm sure he'll be okay." Nicky muttered, but Greg just nodded.

All of a sudden Nathan took the biggest truck and used it to shove two red ones and then a blue one off the table. They clattered to the floor loudly, making Greg flinch.

Nathan took the last truck, a little yellow one, and pushed it behind a coffee mug, like he was trying to hide it. He then drove the big black one away.

By now Greg had caught on, and was feeling his heart shatter for the little boy. Nathan gently pulled the yellow truck back into view, and held it gently in his hands.

And then the boy's tears spilt over, rolling down his shivering cheeks.

Greg exchanged a watery eyed look with Nicky, before walking back to the door.

Maybe a little boy can only be so brave.

XXX

"Really, Catherine?" Greg asked sarcastically yet annoyed. She gave him a sad smirk.

"Oh come on. It was just a question." She replied back seriously. "Do you think he saw it happen?"

Even though she meant nothing of it, Greg managed to be annoyed.

"I don't think it should matter Cath. His family's dead, he might have seen it happen, and now he's being harassed by a bunch of strangers who don't give a shit about his feelings! Regardless of if he was a witness or not, he shouldn't be dealing with this." He said quickly, his anger boiling up near the end.

He saw his CSI 'mom' recoil slightly, her eyes becoming apologetic.

"Sorry." He added, even though he knew it didn't matter much. But she shook her head, her lips pressed into a firm line.

"No, you're right. _I_ should be sorry- I'm treating this like any other case... but it's not." She mumbled, and drifted into a comfortable silence.

Greg twisted his ceramic mug between his hands, feeling the familiar heat warm him. The smell of his blue Hawaiian coffee was too much to resist and he sipped it even though it burned his mouth.

"Greg..." Catherine started reluctantly, "We have a suspect."

The shock was overwhelming. "Really? Who?"

"Yea, Sara got a print off a light switch. Dayle Boyar." She said a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Has Brass got him yet?" Greg asked eagerly, just happy the man could get what he deserved.

"Unfortunately no. He's on the run and he could be anywhere right now." Well that was awesome. They knew who killed Nathan's family and they couldn't find him.

"Did you search his house?" He asked, just begging in his head for a lead.

"Empty." Catherine said quietly.

"But we could trace his-"

"Cards were_ in_ his wallet, _in_ his car, _in_ his driveway." She said, trying to prove her point. Greg was feeling rather depressed right now. This guy knew exactly what he was doing.

"Withdrew his entire account the day before?" He asked- it was the obvious thing to do.

Catherine nodded largely and he sighed. _Of course._

"But did you ask the neighbours-"

"Yes Greg. Nobody knew him, he kept to himself." She said motherly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're stuck."

Greg leaned back farther on the counter, defeated at last.

"Great."

**Liked it? More on the way- Ideas welcome! Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, do you think I would be writing this? Nope. _

**Little Things**

Greg was tapping his fingers on the glass table, listening to the pings and pangs that echoed in his office.

Nick was going over evidence, looking over all the pictures and most likely talking to Greg. But the younger CSI wasn't listening. The only thing he could think about was little Nathan.

The poor kid. Look what he had just been through! His entire family had just died...All he had was a bunch of strange people asking him random and harsh questions. Greg could hardly imagine what it would be like for him. How the boy managed to be so brave was completely unknown to him. And when you thought about it-

"Greg... G!" Nick said loudly, snapping his fingers. Greg jumped slightly, snapping his head up to meet Nick's slightly amused stare.

"Watchin a movie in your head there buddy?" He chuckled and Greg smiled a little.

"Just thinking."

"Okay well we've got some news." Sara said from behind him and Greg looked at her in shock. Since when had she gotten here? "Yea, I'm here Greggo."

His cheeks flushed a light red. "Man, I'm out of it today. Sorry guys."

Sara smirked. "We all are. Anyway, we found about Nathan's family."

Greg felt himself perk up at this, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"And...?"

Nick decided to answer. "You're not going to like it. Nathan's only got one family member left- his uncle Michael Sarthe."

"Okay... what's the problem?" Greg asked, still unsure about their point. The office's dim light was shining on their faces, forming dark shadows.

"The unis found a meth lab in his basement." Sara said quietly. Greg's heart plummeted.

"Minimum four years." Greg sighed and once again felt hopeless.

"Yup." Came Ray's deep voice from the doorway. His eyes were sad.

"So...he's up for adoption or something?" Greg asked the older man, still somewhat shocked.

"He'll be put in foster care once we finish up." Ray said slowly, almost reluctant.

Greg didn't know why, but something inside him just stopped. How much had Nathan been through now? His entire family's been killed, he just lost the last of his family and now he had to go live with a bunch of strangers?

And the pieces just clicked together.

"Ray, where is he now?" He asked without thinking. He got speculative looks from everyone.

"It doesn't matter now- like you said to Catherine- he's been harassed enough as it is." Crap, the whole lab probably knew about that.

"I don't care. I need to talk to him." Greg pushed on, needing to know. He just had to talk to the kid.

"Uh... he's with Brass at the station. Do you have a hunch?" Ray asked strangely.

"Uh... sure." He said quickly.

Greg knew what the other three were thinking. That he was breaking the rules... getting too involved...doing everything wrong.

But this was all wrong as it was. No child should go through this. No child should watch someone die and then be forced to live with strangers.

And with that, Greg walked down the hall, ignoring the concerned looks from his CSI family.

XXX

Greg spotted Nathan in Brass's office before he got remotely close.

The little boy was pushing around his toy trucks on the wooden desk, content for the moment.

When Greg clicked open the metal door, both Brass and Nathan snapped their heads up to look at him. To say he felt awkward was an understatement.

"Uh Brass? Could I speak to Nathan alone for a minute?" Greg asked and was met by a slightly sceptical look. But the police chief smiled at the little boy before walking into the hallway.

Greg shut the door quietly and smiled at Nathan. The little boy smiled back and sat up straighter in Brass's big leather chair. He looked adorable.

"Hey buddy. You okay?" Greg asked, settling into the other chair. Nathan nodded his head.

"Yeah." He said, and began rolling his trucks over some pens on the table that was almost as high as the boy's shoulders.

"Okay, that's good. Now, I know you're probably very tired of all these questions, but I just have to ask you a few more. Is that okay?" He asked the boy and hoped the child would accept it.

Nathan nodded. "Okay."

Nathan's little blue eyes glistened as he made eye contact with Greg.

"Alright. Do you have any other... family? Besides... you know...?" Greg just couldn't finish. Nathan's eyes had begun to tear.

"No... I don't think so." He whispered, as if he was afraid that if he spoke too loudly, it might hurt even more.

Greg scooted closer and put a hand on Nathan's small one. The little boy just stared at their hands.

"Did you ever meet someone named Michael Sarthe? He's your uncle." Greg said slowly, wishing he didn't have to do this. Because what he _wanted_ to do seemed completely insane.

Nathan looked at him confusedly. And then his face lit up a little.

"I thinks so... maybe one time? Is he really my uncle?" The little boy asked quietly, seeming very stunned.

God, Greg hated having to say it. He didn't want to tell the boy. He didn't want to ruin his life even more. But he kind of had no choice.

"Yes, he's your uncle." He said and watched as little Nathan smiled a little. _Fuck, why do I have to do this? _ "I have some bad news. You were supposed to go live with him but...unfortunately he won't be able to take care of you for a few years."

And just like that Nathan's face fell. He looked like he was going to cry again.

"Why?" He asked in an innocent voice, his eyes squinting slightly.

"Well... he had to go away for a while. Because of some things he was doing." Greg muttered, looking at their hands. And then Nathan surprised him.

"He was making drugs." Greg looked up in shock.

"You knew about that?" He asked the boy, completely stunned. How often was Michael really around?

Nathan nodded in a childish way. "Mommy was telling him not to." He said, before welling up once more.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay." Greg said, and walked around the table to take Nathan in his arms. The boy hugged him eagerly, wanting any support and comfort he could get.

"Greg?" Nathan stuttered, and Greg squeezed him tighter.

"Yeah buddy?" He whispered back, running his hand up and down the little boy's back.

"Where am I gunna go?" _Shit._ How was he supposed to drop another bomb now? What was he supposed to say?

He had been silent for a few seconds and he knew he had to speak, as Nathan was now leaning back, staring at him with teary eyes.

"Well there are some nice people who are going to let you stay with them." He said, phrasing it the nicest he could. But Greg had to admit, it still sounded bad.

"No." Nathan said, his eyes going red. "I don't want to!" He buried his head in Greg's shoulder once more.

Inside, Greg was a mess. His heart was shattering for the boy. What kind of kid went through this? His mind was running a million miles an hour, going over every thought he had discovered that day. But he wanted to say it.

He'd been thinking it since Ray had spoken to him earlier. He had been thinking and re-thinking, wondering and second-guessing. But now he felt as if he had to ask Nathan.

But could he do it? He felt the words on his tongue. They were about to come out, this was his last chance to stop it... but he didn't.

"Well... there is another option..."

**I'm sure you can guess what's happening **** REVIEWW**


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, do you think I would be writing this? Nope. _

**Little Things**

Greg walked back into the crime lab a completely different person. He now had the biggest secret he'd ever possessed. And how the hell was he supposed to tell anyone?

His feet echoed on the linoleum floor as he walked slowly down the hallway. He found himself looking at every face he passed, wondering if they noticed a change. Hodges gave him a confused look, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.

And at the end of the hallway he saw Catherine talking to Nick. Shit, before he could turn away, his supervisors waved him over. _Crap. _

Regretfully, he walked towards them and tried to form a coherent sentence in his mind. He tried to find the right words to say... but still nothing.

How could he tell them what he'd just done? How many rules had he just broken? How many people had he now affected? What could he say?

"Hey Greg, we went over the evidence and we sound a strange trace on that jewellery case." Catherine told him, and he wondered how long it would be before she found out.

"Oh... any idea what it is?" Greg asked, careful not to seem anxious or worried. It was tough.

"Nothing yet- Hodges is working on it." Nick said, nodding towards the lab tech's station. Hodges had his head down working on samples, but felt their stare and snapped his head up.

"So what did you need to talk to Nathan about?" Catherine asked, and Greg felt his stomach freeze over. _Shit, shit shit. SHIT._

How could he say it? Could he say it at all? Now he understood what Brass had said earlier. 'Catherine tends to take after Grissom on cases like this.' Now Greg understood- Grissom didn't want anyone to get too involved in cases. No personal attachment or feelings. Greg Sanders had just gone _way _beyond personal attachment.

Would she be disappointed in him? He could get fired. He would probably piss off the entire team.

Before he could say anything, Nick's phone buzzed, and the three leant in to read a text from Sara. Nick pulled it out of their view, smirking.

"Like a bunch of kids." He muttered playfully, smiling at them. "Sara and Ray have some new information in the layout room."

With that, the three CSIs walked briskly down the hallway, like they did every day. But it hit Greg that maybe this was his last time doing so. He sighed sadly.

What had he done? How did he do that? What had possessed him to make such a choice? But... he didn't regret it. Not in the slightest.

They got to the layout room and spotted Sara and Ray looking at a few photos, the lit table shining through.

"Hey, so we found out some news." Ray said slowly, sliding one particular photo forwards.

"Yeah, we have an alleged sighting of our suspect in Henderson." Sara said, and Greg looked at the picture on the table. It was a blurry cell shot of a man walking on a residential sidewalk, but he looked almost exactly like Dayle Boyar.

"Looks legit." Catherine said, eyeing the snapshot. "Talk to the witness yet?"

"Yep, said she saw him out her window talking some other guy, recognised him from the ads and immediately called it in after taking the picture." Sara explained, moving her hands as she talked.

"Any description on the second man?" Nick asked, glancing at Greg as de did so. They were probably all wondering why he hadn't spoke yet; it was very unlike him. Truth was, he was afraid to slip up and have his secret come out in the wrong way.

"No, her eyes were on Dayle and Dayle only." Ray said and pressed his lips into a firm line.

"Wouldn't we all do the same? He's accused of murdering three people." Sara said in a very 'case and point' way.

"True enough." Nick said and Greg had to resist agreeing with him.

"Any other news?" Greg asked, risking it. But he didn't screw anything up and was proud of it.

"Actually, Brass said there was an update on Nathan's caregivers." Sara said and Greg felt his heart rate increase instantly. His stomach was getting colder and colder.

"Oh," Nick said, breaking the small silence. "Someone he knows is going to adopt him?"

"Brass said Greg had more information." Sara said, moving her eyes to lock on him. His mind began to race.

What was he supposed to say? All eyes were on him and he was just standing there. So he took a deep breath and went for it.

"Guys, I did something that could get me fired. That probably _will _get me fired." He said shakily and saw everyone narrow their eyes in concern.

"I couldn't help it... Nathan didn't want to go into foster care... he was crying... and then I was crying... I... well..." He just couldn't get the words out.

"You adopted him, didn't you?" Catherine asked sceptically, seeming extremely annoyed.

"I'm fostering him." All he could do was watch their reactions.

Nick seemed proud, like Greg had lived up to an expectation. Ray seemed surprised, but it was hard to tell with him. Sara smiled, as if she had known ahead of time. But Catherine? She looked pissed. Really pissed.

"Honestly Greg? How could you do that? You know you can't get involved with your cases! That's against policy! All the policies we have! I _should _fire you." Catherine ranted, annoyed and angry.

"You're not firing him Cath." Nick said, and Greg silently thanked him. He couldn't lose his job for this.

"He didn't do anything wrong." Sara said, stepping up against the other woman like she had so many times before. "And you're one to talk Catherine."

The supervisor recoiled slightly, but then gained more ground. "I may have gotten involved in cases a _very _long time ago. But I never _adopted a kid!"_ She said loudly. "I'm disappointed in you."

Catherine then turned on her heels and walked out of the room after glaring at Greg. The guilt consumed him, knowing that he had let the team down. He let his family down.

"I'm sorry guys...I..." Greg stuttered, making eye contact with the others. They looked at him sadly.

"Don't apologize Greg. You may have broken the rules, but you followed your heart." Ray said, patted him on the back and left the room quietly.

"Yeah man. You did what you did. Ignore Catherine; she'll come around. At least you had the guts to tell her." Nick told him with a smirk.

"Thanks Nick." Greg said softly, looking at the ground.

"No problem man." The Texan said and he too left the room.

When it was only him and Sara, Greg looked back up, looking into his best friend's eyes. She looked at him sadly.

"You okay?" Sara asked him, putting her hand on his arm. He just looked at her for a minute before speaking.

"I think so." She smiled at his response.

"Did it make you happy, Greg?" She asked and he gave her a confused look. She seemed to sense that he didn't understand, and rephrased. "Did you feel happy when you signed the papers?"

Greg thought about that for a moment. He had been nervous out of his mind, but really, he as proud. Proud that he had the guts, proud that he followed his heart, and proud to have Nathan living with him. Sure it had been an impulse action, but he didn't regret it.

"Yeah. Happiest I've been in a long time." He answered and she hugged him tightly. Greg pulled her closer, happy for the comfort.

"Then you know it was the right decision." Sara told him as she pulled back. "It'll work out."

"Thank you, Sar. That means a lot." He said meaningfully.

She smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "You'll be a good foster dad."

"I hope so." _I really do. _

**So? I know I usually write it so it takes place in 2 scenes but this felt more appropriate here **** Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, do you think I would be writing this? Nope. _

**Little Things**

Nathan skidded to a stop in front of Greg, holding his beloved trucks in his small hands.

"Greg!" He said happily, grinning from ear to ear. This was why Greg didn't regret adopting him. He was _so _cute.

"Hey buddy, how's it going?" He asked, grabbing a truck as it cascaded out of the boy's full hands. Nathan spilled the rest of them onto the padded chair beside the CSI and smiled.

"Good. I got some doughnuts!" He said excited, and Greg chuckled.

"Oh you did? That's good, who gave you them?" He asked out of curiosity, usually the station was so busy that it was like a break to be assigned baby-sitting duty.

"Captain Brass did! And I got to wear his badge! I like police badges. My mom always told me that police are very nice..." Nathan had begun enthusiastically but had now slowed down and started to sniffle. Greg's heart broke for him.

"Hey, it's okay, come here." Greg said, and pulled the child into his arms, and hugged him tight.

"I didn't want her to die. I didn't want any of them to die!" Nathan said through his erupting tears and sniffles. "It's not fair!"

Greg held him as tightly as he could, sensing Brass's stare through the glass of his office. But he ignored it. He was going to be responsible for Nathan soon, and he needed to be better to him.

"I know, I didn't either. Nobody did. I'm sorry Nathan. I'm sorry." He said softly.

Nathan sniffled on his shoulder, still shuddering. It shocked Greg to see how fast the little boy's mood had changed. It actually scared him a little. How would he be when he was living in a new home, and even though he knew Greg, with a new person? Would he break down often? Would he even cope?

"There," Greg said softly, as Nathan calmed down. "It's okay."

"I miss them." Nathan muttered, absentmindedly pushing a care a minuscule amount back and forth on the blue chair.

"You know what Nathan?" Greg said, and used his finger to push the boy's chin up, meeting his eyes. "They would be proud of you. You're the bravest person I've ever met, and I know that's what they would have wanted."

Nathan sniffed quickly, letting another tear escape his eye. "Do you think they can see me Greg?" In heaven?"

Greg's heart felt like it was electrified. He had forgotten that this boy was a Christian. And not that he had anything against it, but science had made him throw his beliefs out the window.

"Yeah. Yeah I do. And they're all proud." He said with a sad smile, and patted Nathan's shoulder.

This boy had been through hell.

XXX

" I don't know Sara, I'm just worried for him." Greg said, repeating himself once again. But he really _was_ worried.

Sara's eyes were sad, but she showed her understanding.

"I know, but he'll be fine Greg. He's strong." She said softly, but Greg was still scared.

"But what if he breaks down? Or he doesn't like living with me? Or he can't get over their deaths? What If he's emotionally unstable for the rest of his life?" Greg asked, the words spilling out of his mouth like a waterfall. He blushed then, embarrassed.

"Greg." Sara said and leant across the table to place her hand on top of his, much like he had done with Nathan before he made his fateful decision. "He's going to be fine. You'll be a good parent,"

"Yeah, but what if I'm not?" Greg interrupted, exasperatedly. "What if I screw up? What if I do it wrong... fail him?"

" Listen to me. You won't fail him. You're perfect Greg, and Nathan will love you. You'll make him laugh when he's sad, you'll make him understand what he doesn't... You'll be his friend. And why are you so worried? You know if you need help I've got your back. The whole team does."

Greg sighed, no rebuttal coming to him. "Thanks. But that doesn't mean I'm not worried."

"And that doesn't mean that isn't normal." Came a voice from the doorway, and Greg felt his heart beat speed up.

Catherine walked towards him and Sara, an unreadable expression on her face. Did she come to fire Greg? To get him in trouble or judge him further?

"Look Greg..." She started, and he stayed silent, wanting to hear her out. She was basically his mom anyway. "I'm sorry. I guess I judged you too quickly. Not to say I'm not angry, but you should know I feel bad."

"You shouldn't. I went against policy, I broke a dozen rules, and really, I broke your trust." Greg admitted, glancing at Sara briefly, somehow proving his point.

Catherine sighed her signature Willows sigh. "Maybe. But you followed your heart. As your supervisor, I'm angry, but as your friend, I'm proud of you."

Greg smiled, unable to keep it in. "Thanks Catherine."

"Guys we have a problem." Nick said as he burst in the room, closely followed by Ray. His face was crinkled with distress.

"What's wrong?" Sara asked quickly, on her feet already. Greg joined her not a second later.

"We have another sighting of our suspect." Ray said calmly, despite a clear worry in his eyes.

"_30 minutes from here._" Nick said slowly.

"He's back? Why the hell is he back here?" Sara asked loudly, clearly unable to comprehend the news. Greg couldn't either.

Why on earth was he back? "He does know he's wanted right?"

"Yeah Greg, it's all over the news." Nick told him, seeming reserved.

"Okay, then what reasons would there be to return? It's a huge risk on his part." Catherine looked confused.

"He could be checking to see if we know about him..." Ray offered. It seemed possible.

"He might want to test the limits... or he came back for something he left?" Sara said and leant against the glass table.

"Or he came back for the most frequent reason." Nick said and sighed in Greg's direction. "Finishing the job."

"So either he's stupid, ballsy, or..." Catherine said, but couldn't finish as she looked at Greg.

But he knew what she had begun to say, and he wasn't afraid to say it for her.

"Or, he's come back for Nathan." He stated, and the room fell silent once again.

Greg hadn't shown it yet, but he had become terrified. Nathan was now in his protection and there was a crazed killer out to finish his job by killing the boy. But Greg wasn't to let that happen- he cared about Nathan. A lot.

"I'm going to the station to see him." Greg said, and stepped towards the door, ignoring the harsh look from Nick.

"Greg, you're getting too involved. You need to stay focused." Catherine said; back to being a supervisor.

Greg spun around, his annoyance fuelling him. "Do I look like I care?" He said, not caring if he was rude, before turning back around and walking out the door.

As he walked away from the room he heard Catherine's regretful statement.

"How did I know he was going to say that?"

**So? You liked it? Sorry it took so long, I had to deal with stuff **** Let me know if you liked it by reviewing! Please!**


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